The invention pertains to method and apparatus employing a computer program for quantifying pharyngeal residue and aspiration after swallowing observed in digital fluoroscopic images. In particular, the invention performs to a method and apparatus for the valid and reliable quantification of pharyngeal residue and aspiration so that comparisons can be made between experimental conditions and disorder groups.
To date, clinicians and researchers in the area of swallowing disorders have not been able to validly or reliably quantify pharyngeal residue or aspiration after swallowing. Prior methods are subjective and thus unreliable as to how much residue remained in the pharynx or how much of the bolus entered the trachea (prandial aspiration). This limitation has prevented researchers and clinicians from making accurate measurements of an abnormal condition where food and liquid remain in the neck after swallowing.
For example, it is not known how much pharyngeal residue is clinically significant, or if one location of residue (i.e. valleculae) verses another (i.e. pyriform sinuses) places a person at greater risk for aspiration or reduced nutrition. It is also unknown as to how much aspiration places a patient at risk for pulmonary complications and aspiration pneumonia.